Rahul Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi (File photos)
NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of being “frightened” of Donald Trump, hours after the US President claimed that the PM has “assured him that India would stop buying Russian oil”.The Congress leader said the Prime Minister “keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs”.
“PM Modi is frightened of Trump. 1. Allows Trump to decide and announce that India will not buy Russian oil. 2. Keeps sending congratulatory messages despite repeated snubs. 3. Cancelled the Finance Minister’s visit to America. 4. Skipped Sharm el-Sheikh. 5. Doesn’t contradict him on Operation Sindoor,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X. Earlier, his party attacked PM Modi for “compromising the country’s dignity”, calling Russia India’s close ally. “Don’t damage the country’s relationships just to improve personal ‘friendly ties,” said Congress. “Narendra Modi has once again compromised the country’s dignity. According to Trump, bowing to his anger and threats, Modi assured that India would stop buying oil from Russia. One thing is clear – Narendra Modi is a weak Prime Minister, and his actions have unsettled the nation’s foreign policy. Russia has always been a close ally of India. Don’t damage the country’s relationships just to improve personal ‘friendly ties’,” Congress posted on X. Trump claimed on Wednesday that PM Modi has assured him that India will stop buying Russian oil, months after he imposed punitive tariffs over the purchases.”He’s assured me there will be no oil purchased from Russia,” Trump said. “You know, you can’t do it immediately. It’s a little bit of a process, but the process is going to be over with soon,” he added.Responding to ANI’s question whether he views India as a reliable partner, Trump said: “Yeah, sure. He’s (PM Narendra Modi) a friend of mine. We have a great relationship.. I was not happy that India was buying oil. And he assured me today that they will not be buying oil from Russia. That’s a big stop. Now we’ve got to get China to do the same thing.””He’s a friend of mine. We have a great relationship. He just said that two days ago, as you know,” the Republican leader added. Meanwhile, Russia remains India’s single-largest source of oil, accounting for 34% of inbound shipments in September, although volumes have slipped 10% in the first eight months of 2025, according to commodities and shipping markets tracker Kpler.The agency’s latest report pegs India’s crude imports in September at more than 4.5 million bpd (barrels per day).This is an increase of 70,000 barrels over August but flat when compared to the year-ago period, says the report, adding Russian oil accounted for a tad under 1.6 million bpd, or 34% of crude imports. India’s overall crude imports in October have broadly remained in line with expectations at 1.6 million bpd. However, Russian crude shipments have seen a drop of 180,000 from the average volumes imported during the first eight months of 2025, says the report.The drop in the imports is purely driven by market dynamics and not because of US tariff threat and European criticism against India’s continued purchase of those barrels. Go to Source